


Next Summer (Remastered)

by PaleRose13



Category: Parapines - Fandom
Genre: Dipper's real name spoilers, Goodbyes, M/M, end of summer, literally I reveal Dip's name in the fic, pls read that then my fic, so if you haven't read Journal 3
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-20
Updated: 2016-08-20
Packaged: 2018-08-09 22:38:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,614
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7819993
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PaleRose13/pseuds/PaleRose13
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Norman's last day in Gravity Falls is a memorable one for one very special reason.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Next Summer (Remastered)

**Author's Note:**

> Edit 5/14/18- I bet you didn't expect to see me here did you??? Well, here I am! I decided to give this fic the good old once over and boy did it have a smattering of mistakes in it. So I gave this remastered version another remastering? If that makes any sense. Even though I've moved on to other ships, Parapines will always hold a special place in my heart. I hope those of you who still sail on this ship are doing well and enjoy the beginning of your summer. I know the boys are probably doing just fine for their first summer as 21 year olds~

 

Norman Babcock received his first kiss on August 20th, 2012, which also happened to be his last day in Gravity Falls, Oregon (a small town nestled within a blanket of trees where the Babcock family spent their summer vacation), at the age of fourteen years old (which happened to be a year older than Courtney was when she got her first kiss). Two months flew by, filled with days of chasing and battling paranormal creatures and nights sharing stories and secrets with his new friends, twins Mabel and Dipper Pines. Norman thought this vacation was going to suck ghost balls, but in those two months, he had more fun than in his twelve summers of Blithe Hollow. On the days leading up to his last, Norman begged his Mom to let him return to Gravity Falls the next summer. To which he was dismissed with several, “We’ll see, Norman”, but she didn’t understand how badly he needed to return. There were so many places Norman and the twins had not yet explored and discovered, so many mysteries left unsolved, the list went on! The trio really bonded during those two months, which was actually miraculous seeing as how Dipper and Norman did not get along at first. Dipper’s motto of “trust no one” certainly rang true when it came to his first meeting with the medium that appeared in the woods one day.

 

“There’s nothing more suspicious than a random guy, with gravity defying hair, because you know how great our track record is with kids with big hair. Talking to, what seems to be, nothing but thin air.” Dipper told his sister as they peered from nearby bushes that fateful day.

 

Naturally, Mabel was friendly with Norman from the beginning and forced her brother to not be such a “poop head.” As time went on, and it did take some time and several near death experiences, Dipper and Norman warmed up to each other and the trio became incredibly close. Norman was very keen on the idea of keeping the twins as friends, since he had such a small amount of friends to begin with. He thought for sure his mom would lighten up to the idea of another summer in Gravity Falls for that reason alone!

 

“I can’t believe it’s your last day! One summer of super ultimate fun gone by!! Did you convince your parents to let you come back next summer?” Mabel asked while they had their last lunch together at Greasy’s Diner, something they did every week. 

 

“I’m working on it, I think after the tenth time I asked she seemed a little more turned on to the idea.” Norman ate a french fry and sighed, resting his cheek on the cold table. He immediately regretted his decision once he felt how sticky the table was, but he was too forlorn to move.

 

“But you’ve gotta come back next summer,” Dipper immediately chimed in, “there’s so much we’ve got to do and you need to be there! We still haven’t gone to the other side of the mountain to find those centaurs or completed that cryptic puzzle we found with Grunkle Ford in the basement, or finished tha-” he was suddenly cut off by his sister shoving his half eaten hamburger into his mouth.

 

“Dipper we get it, there’s still lots to do.” Mabel wiped her crumby hands on a napkin and took a sip of her soda, “No need to remind us,” she added noticing how Dipper’s list of activities still left incomplete made Norman sink uncomfortably into his seat as his head slipped off of the table.

 

“Sorry,” Dipper humphed, “it’s just that there’s still a lot we haven’t accomplished,” which was without a doubt true, in more ways than one. 

 

“It’ll be fine guys, at least we can still Skype during the year? Right?” Norman asked softly, trying to lighten the mood.

 

“Well duh!” Mabel assured, “If I don’t get any Skype calls from you, I’m going to think you got eaten by, I don’t know, Sasquatch or something!” 

 

“I mean I could just be busy, Mabel. ” Norman chuckled, “And I live on the east coast, so there is going to be a time difference.” he could see it now, late night Skype sessions and receiving “good morning” text messages while he was already in school. Norman involuntarily shivered thinking about how he was going to be a freshman…

 

“Nope. Sasquatch.” Mabel insisted.

 

“I’ll let you think that. Anyway I’d better get going,” Norman said as he reached into his pocket and took out some change to pay for his fries. Lazy Susan never charged the teens, seeing as she always gave them yesterday’s food, but Norman always felt like he had to give something. “I have to finish packing everything. Come visit before I leave.” 

 

“W-when are you leaving?!” Dipper inquired, voice slightly cracking, which caused his ears to turn a light shade of pink. He’s sixteenth birthday was literally in ten days, and his voice still occasionally cracked, unbelievable.

 

“Around five. We’ve got to get to the airport by six thirty.” 

 

“Okay, we’ll be there!” 

 

Norman smiled. “Thanks guys, I’ll see you later,” with that, he went to the register counter to pay for his meal and left. 

 

“Oh Dipper…” and thus Mabel’s unwanted musings began.

 

“Don’t.” He rubbed his eyes.

 

“I’m just saying, bro-bro-”

 

“Save it.” Dipper quickly cut her off. 

 

“This might be the last time you’re going to see Norman ever.” She pointed out, “And I would hate to see you being a mopey, love sick lump on a log for the rest of the year,” she rolled her eyes at the thought (Dipper lying on the couch, staring at his phone and waiting for it to chime. Getting him to do anything productive when he got like that would be impossible….) and began to finish her soda.

 

“Mabel, I’m not going to act like a ‘love sick lump on a log’” Dipper sneered as the blush spread from his ears to his cheeks, “ because I don’t have those types of feelings for Norman.” he retorted, causing his sister to almost choke on her soda.

 

“HA, Yeah right! That’s the biggest lie I’ve ever heard!” Mabel coughed and laughed at the same time, “You’re so in love with Norman!”

 

Now you’re probably thinking, Mabel is totally right. Dipper is so in love with Norman. Well, he’s not. That statement made by Mabel was, on all accounts, completely inaccurate. He’s not in love at all. He didn’t even like Norman at first, so closed off and eerily quiet, but intriguing at the same time. Nope, he didn’t think about how the young medium was probably the most fascinating person he’d ever met. Or about how out of all the people in the world, Norman was, probably, the only one who understood how he felt and shared his love for the supernatural. Those thoughts didn’t cross his mind, not at all.

 

And he especially did not spend every night lying in his bed thinking about Norman and the crooked smile he’d make whenever someone said something that he found funny or how his jet black hair was always standing on end, no matter how nature toyed with it. That same hair that Dipper wanted touch for no apparent reason… Well, maybe to see that reaction Norman had whenever someone did happen to touch his hair.

 

“I am not in love with Norman!” Dipper professed loudly, slamming his fists down on the table causing several of the diner patrons to look over at their table. 

 

“Uh-huh, sure.” Mabel snickered, “Way to make a fuss.” 

 

“I”m not making a fuss.” Dipper huffed, ignoring the stares from the people around him. 

 

“Yeah you are.” 

 

“Mabel!”

 

“Are we in Egypt or something? Because you’re floating down the DE-NILE river” 

 

Dipper frowned, “Please stop.” 

 

“Only when you admit that you like Norman.” Mabel drawled, poking her brother’s cheek. 

 

“No.” Dipper’s frown took on a hint of annoyance.

 

“You know, if you keep frowning like that, your face is going to stay like that for the rest of your life.” 

 

“Good to know, c’mon let’s get out of here.” Dipper swatted his sister’s hand away and pulled some money out of his pocket and threw it on the table. As her brother walked away, Mabel stole one last french fry from Norman’s plate. She was going to miss Norman, he was a great addition to their twin party. And she knew she’d miss the way he made her brother so incredibly happy even more. 

 

~~ 

 

The Pines twins showed up at the Babcock’s cabin, which was located on the outskirts of the Northwest Mansion’s property. Mrs. Babcock greeted the twins with a smile and directed them to Norman’s room where he was apparently “busy packing” Sure enough the twins found their medium friend lying on his bed with his hood pulled over his face. 

 

“Man, and I thought Dipper was a super mope.” Mabel quibbled, walking over and pulling Norman’s hood to free his face from its confounds. 

 

“Hey!” Dipper interjected from the doorway, “I’m not a mope!”

 

“I don’t know, you can be a mope sometimes.” Norman gave his two cents, rubbing his eyes and sitting up. 

 

Dipper puffed his cheeks and crossed his arms over his chest, leaning against the door. He hated when Mabel and Norman ganged up on him, “Well I’m not the mope now, it’s you.” 

 

“Don’t be rude, Dipper!” Mabel scolded, patting Norman’s head, “Our poor baby is leaving the nest!” Mabel’s patting turned into scratching, eliciting a content hum from the boy as his eyes slipped shut and a smile spread across his face. 

 

Dipper bit his lip and clenched his fists, that face. “I’m not being rude, I’m just making an observation,” which was true. 

 

“Well whatever, we need to be there for Norm, not bring him down! Isn’t that right Norman?” Mabel regarded sternly, slightly snapping Norman out of his daze. 

 

“Huh? Oh yeah, sure.” he exhaled, “Can you stop scratching, Mabel? I think I’m going to fall asleep if you continue.” 

 

“Right-o!” Mabel immediately ceased her actions, “See Dipper, being there for him.” 

 

“Yeah, yeah,” the other boy unclenched his fists and walked over to the other two. He sat next to Norman and stared at his lap. “It’s just crazy to think that the summer’s really over, isn’t it?” God that sounded super somber. He really was a mope, wasn’t he?

 

“Yeah, but there’s going to be more summers?” Norman offered sleepily. 

 

“That’s true,” Dipper smiled, looking over at Norman and Mabel, “and we will finish everything we didn’t accomplish?” 

 

“You bet your bottom dollar we will!” Mabel cheered, pumping her fists in the air. “Nothing’s going to break up this trio!” 

 

God Dipper hoped that her statement would hold true. 

 

Norman nodded in agreement, “And we’ll find more mysteries and adventures,” he added excitedly, “next summer is going to be amazing.” 

 

“Let’s not jump to conclusions, your parents haven’t agreed to let you come back yet.” Dipper reminded his eager friend. 

 

“I know,” Norman sighed, “But we’ve at least gotta stay a little positive?” He looked back to Mabel for some reinforcement.

 

“We’ve got to keep it positive!” Mabel sang a la Legally Blonde the Musical. 

 

Dipper couldn’t help chuckling at the random outburst of song, “Okay, I’ll keep it positive.” 

 

“Promise?” Mabel and Norman asked in unison, holding out their pinky’s. 

 

“What are we, seven?” Dipper raised an eyebrow.

 

“Dipper!” Mabel groaned, her brother really knew how to kill a moment.

 

“Okay! Alright, I promise.” Dipper took their pinky’s in his and shook.

 

~~ 

 

Mabel said her goodbye to Norman first, hugging the medium tightly and double checking that he had her cell phone number saved.

 

“Don’t worry Mabes, I got it.” Norman reassured after she insisted that she check his phone herself.

 

“I’m really gonna miss you, Normy.” she hugged him one last time, feeling her brother’s eyes on her. She knew he wanted his time with Norman.

 

“You too.”

 

Once their embrace broke, Mabel looked over to her brother, “He’s all yours.”

 

Dipper, realizing he was staring, jumped slightly and walked over to Norman.

 

“Good luck, lover boy,” his sister whispered to him as she passed to walk away.

 

“Mabel!” Dipper glowered at his sister’s need to be insufferable.

 

Norman cocked his head to the side, “What was that?”

 

Dipper jumped again. “Ah! Nothing!” He quickly dismissed Norman. “Just Mabel being Mabel.”

 

“Oh okay…” Norman’s voice trailed off and an uncomfortable silence settled over the two.

 

Dipper Pines stood in front of his friend for the last time that summer at four thirty pm, their eyes locking and palms sweaty. Which was a typical occurrence, save his heart fluttering in a way that made him think that it would break through his skin an fly right out of his chest.

 

Norman was the first to speak. “It’s okay Dipper, I’m going to come back next summer,” he reassured even though he didn’t know how valid that statement was. 

 

The other boy looked up and exhaled, trying to think of something to say. All he could come up with was, “Yeah I guess.” 

 

“And like Mabel said, we’re going to Skype and I have your email and cell number.” 

 

“That’s true…” Dipper’s eyes met Norman’s again and the silence took over, he wondered if his eyes looked just as sad. They certainly weren’t as strikingly blue- stop that! 

 

That dreaded silence, the lull of awkwardness that plagued teenagers around the world. Dipper opened his mouth a couple of times to try say something meaningful, but he ended up shutting it before words came out. He was never good at goodbye’s. 

 

“So.”

 

“So?” 

 

“I’ll see you soon?” he offered back Norman’s promise, holding his arms wide open for the medium. 

 

Norman grinned. “Yeah, you will,” he pulled Dipper into the tightest hug he could muster, this could be the last hug they ever shared.

 

Dipper, went completely stiff, not that Norman noticed since he was practically crushing the shorter teen in his embrace. None the less, Dipper’s heart pounded faster. He’d never been this close to Norman, who smelt like clean linens and pine trees. Ironic.

 

He inhaled slowly, breathing in Norman’s sent one last time, and sighed all his tension away. Norman pulled away a little and to look at Dipper, who appeared so peaceful and starstruck. He’d be lying if he said it didn’t make his stomach flip a little. 

 

Norman involuntarily licked his lips and braced himself for some more awkward silence before they finally departed. However, gravity refused to let the embrace end, as he and tightened his grip on Dipper. The space between them grew smaller, neither of them could tell who was moving and who was staying still. Before Norman knew it, their lips were locked, Dipper slightly standing on his toes so he could reach with his eyes shut. 

 

Every string that held the medium’s body to this earth was suddenly released and he felt like he was flying. He could hear cheers from some surrounding spirits, congratulating him with hoots and whistles, as he let his eyes close and arms wrap around Dipper once more, holding him so cautiously. It was like something out of Courtney’s teen romance movies, only Dipper and Norman weren’t your average summer blockbuster romance.

 

Their lips remained pressed together, nothing more, for about ten Mississippi counts. Then Dipper broke away for air, realizing what he’d just done. Their foreheads pressed together as they still hand their arms rapped around each other. Dipper tried with all his might to process all that just happened. The last thing he remembered was looking at Norman after the hug and then BAM, he was in Smooch City, USA. Population him and Norman, as Mabel might have put it. Not to say that he didn’t like it, quite the opposite. The elation he felt was insane, the storm of his worries and pent up emotions finally cleared, all that was left was sunshine and Norman’s lips on his. It was a feeling that was better an any sense of accomplishment he felt after solving a mystery or cracking an ancient code. 

 

They stared at each other, faces inches away from each other and lips millimeters away. If they thought they didn’t know what to say before, they sure as hell didn’t know what to say now. 

 

Again, it was Norman who broke first, “Next summer?” he whispered, blue eyes shining and hopeful. 

 

Dipper nodded quickly and swallowed before he blurted out, “Absolutely,” and gave Norman one more peck before separating from his embrace. 

 

“Ah get a room!” Mabel yelled from the end of the driveway.

 

‘Who’s the mood killer now?’ Dipper thought angrily, they turned their heads to see Mabel, practically keeled over the mailbox, laughing hysterically. She winked at Dipper, giving him an ‘I told you so’ grin.

 

Feeling a surge of newfound confidence, Norman yelled back, “Maybe next summer!”

 

If Dipper’s face was red before, it was sure as hell was coming close to maroon now, “Don’t encourage her.” he grumbled into Norman’s chest.

 

The medium chuckled, “Don’t worry about it, what’s she gonna do?”

 

“You’d be surprised.”

 

“I hate to break up the love fest,” Mabel began yelling again, “but Norm’s gotta go!”

 

“Okay! Give me a sec!” Dipper shouted at his twin. He turned back to Norman, blurting out the first thing that came to mind to save this moment from becoming a total joke, “I’ll miss you.”

 

Norman shrugged, “I’m pretty sure I’ll miss you more.”

 

“Text me when you get home?”

 

“Cool.” Norman beamed as he felt millions of butterflies populate his stomach and was pretty certain his heart grew wings of its own. He knew he needed do a lot of groveling and bending the truth to convince his Mom over the next year how it was imperative that he return to Gravity Falls for the summer. “Bye, Mason,” Norman said softly, almost unsure if he should have done that.

 

Dipper’s eyes widened slightly. He rarely heard his actual name, usually only when teachers called attendance the first day of classes (to which he would politely reply, “just call me ‘Dipper’”) or when he got in trouble. But there was something about the way Norman said it that made it seem less dumb and more like a name he’d wouldn’t mind hearing more often. His gaze softened, he was glad the younger teen knew his name, but it made this goodbye so much more difficult, “Bye, Norman.” they squeezed each other one last time.

 

Finally separating was hard, walking way was harder, especially with your twin sister chewing off your ear about how she feels so lucky she got to witness such a “magical occurrence”. And waiting for a ‘back home safe’ text was the hardest, which came at about one in the morning, even though he wasn’t really asleep to begin with. He shifted to lay on his side and texted, ‘good, what time is it there?’

 

Dipper stared at his sister’s side of the room, Mabel was out cold and Waddles was comfortably nestled at the foot of her bed. The stars and moon created a bit of light that shown through the window of their room and made a small pool next to her bed. He wished he were asleep, but he couldn’t stop thinking about everything, from the beginning of the summer when Dipper first met the medium until the moment their lips touched, that happened. He rubbed his eyes and pushed his hair out of his face, waiting for Norman’s reply.

 

On the other side of the country, Norman stared out of the window of his parent’s car as they made their trip back to Blithe Hollow, also wishing sleep would find him. He tried to sleep on the red-eye home, but that was a total bust, ‘It’s a little after 4am’ he texted back. He knew he shouldn’t be texting this late, but compulsion took over and he couldn’t just ignore Dipper, not after what just happened. He looked out at the sky and the moon was high and almost full, turning the road and trees that passed by blue. The sun should be rising in an hour or so, he began to think that maybe he should just stay awake and watch the sunrise.

 

His phone vibrated and he quickly unlocked it to read the text, ‘ _that’s early, 1-something am here,I can’t sleep._ ’

 

‘ _I think I’m just going to stay awake and watch the sunrise._ ’ He typed back

 

‘ _That’s probably a good idea._ ’ Dipper almost immediately replied.

 

Norman sighed and continued to stare out the window. ‘ _The moon is really pretty tonight_ ’, he took a picture and sent it along with his message.

 

‘ _wow, that’s really nice. wait a sec._ ’ It took about four minutes before Norman received a picture of the moon over the trees of Gravity Falls. The scenery in the picture looked warmer and more like home than it did on the east coast, it made Norman’s heart ache.

 

‘ _You on the roof?_ ’ He asked

 

‘ _yeah, but I’m going back inside_ ’

 

‘ _I miss that_ ’ He admitted

 

There was a pause, and Norman knew it was coming. Dipper was probably staring out into the night, trying to come up with the perfect response. He smiled at the thought and was brought back by a vibration.

 

‘ _I miss you_ ’ The perfect response.

 

‘ _I miss you too_ ’

 

They didn’t need to say anything else, they stared at the same moon and drifted to sleep, dreaming of all the things they'd do together next summer.

 


End file.
